


Journey to the Past

by oxiosa



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers, Latin Hetalia - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Anastasia (1997 & Broadway) Fusion, Alternate Universe - Human, F/M, Gender or Sex Swap, Genderbending, Inspired by Anastasia (1997 & Broadway)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-04
Updated: 2020-09-04
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:40:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26290534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oxiosa/pseuds/oxiosa
Summary: Martín Hernández would have the honor to dine with the Empress of the Brazilian Empire in just a few couple of hours. And yet, he felt like he was about to walk his way to the gallows.
Relationships: Argentina/Brazil (Hetalia)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 11





	Journey to the Past

**Author's Note:**

> The characters used in this work belong to the Latin Hetalia community and their respective creators ♥
> 
> Argentina: Martín Hernández.  
> Fem!Brazil: Luciana Da Silva.  
> Paraguay: Daniel de Irala.  
> Fem!Uruguay: Tiana Artigas.

The sun fell slowly on the horizon, almost lazily. It was just another quiet evening in one of Montevideo’s fanciest districts; as the day met its end, children run down the street rushing back for supper, fashionable suited men in expensive cars drove home to their families, maids and nannies walked down the road in an uniformed parade after a long day of work.

The last of the sun’s rays came through the window of the luxurious chambers Martín currently occupied in a dim orange light. It bathed the room with a dream-like veil where everything seemed made of gold - the kind of indulgent life Martín had been dreaming of since he was a child.

He stood in front of a full length mirror as he meticulously assessed his reflection. He cut a sharp handsome frame; he wore a perfectly tailored suit that only accentuated his tall slim figure and had slicked back his blond hair in the way fashionable men did. He stared at his reflection, held the hard stare boring back at him.

Martín Hernández would have the honor to dine with the Empress of the Brazilian Empire in just a few couple of hours, and yet he felt like he was about to walk his way to the gallows.

There was a light knock on the door, a warning rather than a question; without waiting for his answer, Tiana slipped inside the room. She looked beautiful, more than usual; her dark blond hair was pulled up in an elaborated updo, and she wore a dark blue evening dress in perfect contrast with her pale skin. Between her hands she cradled a small wooden jewel box. 

“Ah, good,” Tiana commented absently as she walked towards his dressing table and put the box down. “I’m glad to see _you_ are at least able to handle your own hair. You have no idea what it took me to tame Daniel’s into something presentable.”

She opened the box and picked a few things. She took Martín’s side by the mirror and extended her hand in his direction.

“Left hand,” she commanded.

“No 'please'?” Martín teased humourlessly.

Tiana raised an eyebrow at him and remained quiet to prove a point. Martín snorted, but silently obeyed and extended his hand, watched as Tiana delicately slipped a shiny watch on his wrist and carefully put on some golden cufflinks.

“You don’t look too happy for a man who’s about to become a millionaire,” she mused mostly to herself as she slipped a carefully folded handkerchief into his breast pocket.

“Keep the reward.”

Tiana’s face shot right up and she met his eyes with surprise softening her usually regal face. She blinked up at him and then hummed to herself.

“Well, that’s unexpected,” she admitted. She turned back to her work, fixed the collar of his shirt and his bowtie and smoothed the suit’s lapels with gentle hands. “Next you’ll tell me you took the trouble to bring this girl all the way from Rio out of the goodness of your heart.”

Martín let out a deep sigh and his posture sagged a little. The eyes looking back at him in the mirror suddenly looked exhausted, dull and lifeless.

“It’s her, Tiana,” he answered weakly.

“I’m still a little apprehensive, but I admit she does resemble the Imperial Princess a lot,” Tiana confessed absently. She headed back to the dress table to fetch her jewel box. “You know, I’ve seen my fair share of impostors pretending to be her… I can’t help to hope this time it’s truly her.”

“You don’t understand,” Martín growled distressed. He stepped back and out of Tiana's hands and started pacing around the room as he rubbed his temples suspecting the beginning of a migraine. “I mean it, it _is_ her. She’s the real deal.”

Tiana startled at his sudden outburst, but then she fixed him with a suspicious glance.

“What makes you so sure?”

Martín stopped his pacing by the large window. He braced himself on the windowsill, knuckles turning white as he clung as if for dear life. The sky’s fading from a vibrant orange to lifeless darkness mocked him, nothing but a reminder of the time helplessly slipping from his fingers.

“I… I didn’t tell Luciana,” he confessed in a broken whisper.

“Tell her what?” Tiana frowned.

Martín closed his eyes for a moment.

“I was the stable boy she spoke about, the one who helped the Princess and the Empress escape the palace,” he answered. “I taught her everything she needed to know to convince you she was the Imperial Princess, but I didn’t teach her that. And yet she knew. Luciana _knew_ , Tiana.”

Tiana stared at him with wide eyes. It took her a long moment to take Martín’s confession in

“You’re not lying,” she mumbled dumbstruck. A wide smile spread across her dark lips. “Martín, that’s wonderful news. You have no idea how long we’ve been looking for her, the consort Empress and I,” she stared at Martín’s quiet hunched figure and gave him a confused look. “I don’t get it. Why are you upset then?”

She walked up to him like someone might approach a wild unpredictable beast, cocked her head as she stared at his profile. In this light, both his hair and eyelashes shone like gold, and yet he looked miserable like she had never seen him before. The usual burning fire in his eyes was completely gone, extinct to ashes.

“You found the Imperial Princess. You brought her back to her family,” Tiana said. “She is home. She is where she belongs. What else could you want?”

The answer to her own question struck her with sudden realisation, and she let out an almost imperceptible breathless gasp.

“Oh, Martín...”

Martín closed his eyes again and took one deep breath through his nose. Tiana placed a delicate hand on his cheek and gently guided his face to meet her eyes., 

“You should tell her,” she said.

“It doesn’t change anything,” Martín answered bitterly. “She’s royalty and I’m… well, scum.”

Tiana frowned at him.

“Modesty does not suit you at all,” she declared with disapproval.

Martín chuckled a dark humourless laugh.

“It’s ok,” he gave her a smile. He took her hand in his and patted it like Tiana was the one in need of comfort. “Just promise me you’ll look after her, won’t you?”

“Of course I will,” Tiana replied indignantly, offended by the mere implication she would do anything but. She glared at him, but deflated in a quiet sad sigh. “I still think you should tell Luciana.”

“Tell me what?”

They both turned around to find Luciana beaming at them from the room’s door.

Martín almost gasped, for it felt like rubbing salt over an open wound; Luciana looked unfairly breathtaking. Her dark hair was fashioned mostly up, the exception a couple of wild curls that refused to be tamed and trailed around her face charmingly. She wore a delicate tiara with small elegant diamonds, bright like a shooting star in the night sky against her black hair. Her dress fell and trailed smoothly around her in the Empire’s colours - Tiana doing surely, as she had always had an eye for details.

Tiana cleared her throat elegantly and elbowed Martín, who remembered himself in a startle.

“Why, well just how ravishing you look, princess,” his usually galant smile felt tense on the edges.

“Flatterer,” Luciana rolled her eyes, but curiously enough her cheeks darkened in uncharacteristic shyness.

Tiana spared them a calculated look.

“I should probably go check how Daniel is doing,” she announced slyly. “Excuse me.”

Luciana smiled at her and beamed when Tiana reached for her arm and gave it a gentle affectionate squeeze as she passed by her. They both shared warm bright smiles, two long lost friends reunited. Then, with one last meaningful look in Martín’s direction, Tiana left the room.

Martín took a deep breath - he couldn’t help to feel this was some sort of cruel test to his will.

“Looking handsome, aren't we?” Luciana commented with a smile edging her words.

“Always do, princess,” Martín replied, aiming for charming and missing entirely. He walked back to the mirror - as if Tiana hadn’t already fixed anything that needed fixing - just to have something to do with his hands.

“Well, yes, but-” Luciana stopped at her own admission. She seemed terribly flustered for a moment as she cleared her throat. “I meant it as a compliment.”

The lack of usual playful banter back from Martín seemed to throw her off. Martín took a quick peek at her across the mirror and found she had reached for the old crucifix hanging around her neck, clung to it like he had seen her do whenever her nerves got the best of her.

“I… I actually came here to talk to you,” Luciana said, her warm cheerful voice uncharacteristically serious and low.

“Really?” Martín replied coolly. His heart raced inside his chest and a rushing warmth took over his face.

“We’ve been through a lot together…” Luciana said. “I-” she hesitated a moment. She huffed a little nervous laugh, and continued: “As far as I can remember, which, well, it really isn't much, no one has ever really cared for me. No one has ever believed in me. But you did and here we are. We’ve made it to Montevideo and now we’re about to meet the Empress… and this may be it for me. The moment I have always dreamed of.”

Martín’s hands closed into tight fists and his heart drummed in his ears.

“I just wanted to… well, thank you, I guess. For everything,” she paused a moment. “I wouldn’t have made it this far without your help. Or Dani’s. Both you and Dani. Even if it turns out I’m no princess, I’m thankful for this journey with you.”

Martín remained entirely frozen and quiet. He didn’t dare turn around and face Luciana, terrified of what the sight of her might make him confess.

“So... great talk!” Luciana cleared her throat awkwardly. “I’ll just go now... if you excuse me...”

Refusing her this way felt like refusing air itself. Martín couldn’t bare it. He turned around and barely contained himself from reaching for her.

“Luciana...”

Luciana, who already had a foot outside the room, spinned around so fast she almost lost her tiara. Her brown eyes bore into Martín wide with earnestness - she was the most beautiful thing Martín had ever had the fortune to lay his eyes upon.

“Yes?” she answered holding her breath.

It would be so easy to close the steps separating them, to take her in his arms and kiss her. To cling to her and tell her how much he adored her. There was so much he wanted to tell her - _needed_ to tell her.

“Good luck tonight,” he mumbled instead.

He could see disappointment take over Luciana’s expression. Just like heavy grey clouds rolling over a clear sunny sky, the light in her face was gone.

“Oh…” she looked down at her feet. “Yes, sure. Thank you…”

Martín chewed on his lower lip. He felt like taking it back and for once being honest with her. 

“I should probably go…” Luciana said without even trying to hide her disillusion. “So much to do and so little time, and all of that, you know…”

She lingered for a couple of breathless heartbeats, almost expectantly, before she turned around without a word and quietly slipped out of the room. Martín stared at the door, almost wishing she would return, call him out on his stupidity and kiss him. He sighed and rubbed his temples again. He allowed himself to dwell in his misery for no more than five second before he took a deep breath and frowned with determination. He arranged his suit one last time and then he left the room.

He shouldn’t had been surprised to find Tiana leaning against the wall right next to his door, her arms crossed over her chest and a displeased expression on her face.

“Smooth,” she murmured.

Martín didn’t dignify her with an answer. He fixed his stare right ahead with iron-willed eyes and squared his shoulders like a man ready to take against the world.

“We’re going through with this as if nothing has changed,” he mumbled gloomly.

After all, princesses didn’t marry stable boys.

**Author's Note:**

> Y'all look at Dimitri and tell me he ain't Martín matterial


End file.
